California Trail Parent News

PTO Minsky's Fundraiser

Art Studio 3:20 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

XC practice 3:40 p.m. - 4:40 p.m.

Volleyball games vs. PRT 3:45 p.m.-5:45 p.m.

Bulldog Backers meeting 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

9/17

FCA 7:15 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.

8th grade Pathways Fair 8:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.

Anime Club 3:20 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Volleyball practice 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

XC practice 3:40 p.m. - 4:40 p.m.

9/18

Math Club 7:15 am. - 8:15 a.m.

Volleyball games @ SFT 3:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

XC BVSW 7th & 8th grades 3:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

9/19

Cross Country practice 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.

Science Olympiad 7:15 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.

Games Club 3:20 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.

Volleyball practice 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

7th grade Football game @ MT 3:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

8th grade Football game @ CT vs. MT 3:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

9/20

Volleyball practice 6:40 a.m.- 7:40 a.m.

XC practice 7:00 a.m. - 7:40 a.m.

Hello Parents,

With this week being National Suicide Prevention Week and with all of the news coverage of school violence and threats of school violence, I want to reiterate a small portion of what was shared with students during the week in regards to helping someone in need. We made an announcement each day (daily announcements can be found at https://www.olatheschools.org/Page/6550 ) with the message centering around the acronym ACT. In those messages we encourage students that encounter friends or others that are struggling to:

• Acknowledge: Listen to your friend. Don’t ignore threats.
• Care: Let your friend know that you care about them.
• Tell: Tell a trusted adult so they can help.

As always, please feel free to reach out to a teacher, counselor, or administrator if we can support. Mike

In order to comply with our new cell phone policy, students now come to the office and use the school phone to call their adults about forgotten items or other concerns.

This has exposed two glaring gaps in our students’ knowledge: 1. a phone number for the adult they are calling, and 2. how to actually make a phone call, including how to leave a voicemail.

It is very important that your student memorize a phone number for their adult; not just to save office staff and students some time, but it’s a necessity for any unexpected situation in life. It will also be very helpful to teach them how to make an actual phone call, including leaving a message. Many times we have students come to the office and not understand how to leave a voicemail to let you know why they called.

These are important skills and information that our students need. Find out if your student knows your number and teach them how to leave you a message. This will save everyone involved a lot of time and confusion.

Thank you.

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Just a reminder that our district uses FastBridge to test our students three times a year. This information helps us plan instruction and monitor student progress over the year(s). Fastbridge scores can be viewed on ParentVue, under Test History.

If your student falls into a high-risk category on a Fastbridge test, we will contact you and let you know our next steps. Our math and reading interventionists will then look at individual student data and may decide they need to gather more information. This could include assessing their phonemic awareness/reading fluency/etc. or further math testing on specific skills/standards. This information will either show that the student has mastered the skill and doesn’t need additional small group instruction OR that they need more instruction in a specific skill area. This is something we do for ALL students to make sure that we are meeting individual needs district-wide.

In elementary school, this looks like teachers pulling a small group of kids to a table in the classroom or pod area to work on a specific need. This looks different in middle school due to scheduling. Our building WIN time (listed academic intervention on their class schedule) is the time used for small group interventions. If a student doesn’t need academic intervention, they participate in their WIN class with a weekly set of whole group lessons in social/emotional learning, silent reading time, grade checks, math practice on IXL, and other topics.

If you have questions about how this process works or specific screeners/assessments we use, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Brandie England

Assistant Principal

CT Parents –

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. During the month students will learn warning signs of suicide; how to help those in need; available resources; the importance of self-care and coping skills. Information about suicide awareness and prevention can be found at the link below.

OSD Mental Health and Wellness

The Olathe Public Schools Career and Technical Education department is hosting the first 8th Grade High School Pathways Fair for every 8th grader in the district. The event will be hosted at the Regnier Center on the campus of Johnson County Community College.

At this event, students have the opportunity to “interview” high school students involved in the many CTE pathways offered in our district. This is a great way for the students to gain information in a fun and enjoyable manner.

To help our students prepare for this event, counselors will be visiting classrooms in the coming weeks. We will be taking students into the Xello program to help them determine careers or career pathways of interest, and also sharing with them our expectations for the Pathways Fair.

The 2024 High School Pathways Fair will take place on September 17th. CT 8th graders will be boarding busses promptly at 8:20 a.m. Please make sure students are at school on time. They will return to school towards the end of WIN time.

If you prefer that your student NOT attend the High School Pathways Fair, please contact their counselor by 3:30 p.m., Friday, September 13th.

Stephanie Beyer (A-K): sbeyerct@olatheschools.org

Sue Sandbothe (L-Z): ssandbothect@olatheschools.org

Olathe families, community members, students and staff are invited to join members of the Board of Education and superintendent for Community Conversations starting in September. These informal events are designed to encourage two-way dialogue between the Board of Education and community members about the topics that are top-of-mind in the district. There is no set agenda, but rather, participants will have an opportunity to engage in conversation regarding a variety of topics. Various dates and times have been selected for community members to choose a time that works best for them.

All community conversations will be held in the Board of Education room (14160 S. Black Bob Rd., Olathe). Four Community Conversations are planned for the 2024-25 school year, including:

• September 24, 2024 – 9-10:30 a.m.
• November 19, 2024 – 5-6:30 p.m.
• February 20, 2025 – 9-10:30 a.m.
• April 24, 2025 – 5-6:30 p.m.

Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP in advance. If you intend to join the Tuesday, Sept. 24 Community Conversation, please submit an RSVP at this link by Friday, Sept. 19.

Please click on the link below to order CT spirit wear.

https://ctbulldogs.itemorder.com/shop/home/

The yearbook staff needs the cutest pic of your 8th grader from when they were a baby. The age can range from newborn to toddler; it doesn’t matter, we just want to be able to include everyone. Please send pictures to ctmsyearbooksquad@gmail.com by October 10th. If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Zugelder at mbzugelder@olatheschools.org

CT's Student Directory is on sale now in InTouch. Sale deadline is September 13th!

Yearbook orders are made by using the Jostens' link below.

https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/1029398/California-Trail-Middle-School/2025-Yearbook/2024071812150449358/CATALOG_SHOP/

All student ($5) and adult ($10) activity passes will be digital through GoFan and are currently being sold on the enrollment/fee payment page, here is the link Middle School Activities Pass. These digital passes will now be tied to a mobile device. The pass can be displayed at the ticket table for each event where admission via ticket is required. This simply replaces the student ID and card that parents were using for access.

If your eighth grader is showing an interest in one or more of the 21st Century Academies, we would strongly encourage you to visit the Open Houses at the various high schools. These are great opportunities to see the 21st Century Academies in action!

Each of the academies will hold an open house for students and parents to attend in order to visit the facilities and find out more details about the academy. Each open house is on different dates; families may attend as many as they choose. If a family is unable to attend the scheduled date, there are many resources on the https://www.olatheschools.org/21stcenturyacademies website or you may email the academy facilitator.

Distinguished Scholars

Tuesday, October 22, 6:00pm – Olathe North 600 E Prairie Street, Olathe, KS 66061

Animal Health, Geoscience, Medical Professions, Sports Medicine

Thursday, October 24, 5:45-7:45pm – Olathe North 600 E Prairie Street, Olathe, KS 66061

Green Tech, Public Safety

Wednesday, October 30, 6-8pm – Olathe West 14545 W 127th St, Olathe, KS 66062

Civic Leadership, Design, Future Educators

Wednesday, November 6, 5:30-7:30pm – Olathe East 14545 W 127th Street, Olathe, KS 66062

BioMedical Engineering, Business Finance, Computer Science

Thursday, November 7, 6-8pm – Olathe South 1640 E 151st Street, Olathe, KS 66062

e-Communication

Tuesday, November 12, 5:30-7:30pm – Olathe Northwest 21300 College Blvd, Olathe, KS 66061

Engineering

Wednesday, November 13, 5:30-7:30pm – Olathe Northwest 21300 College Blvd, Olathe, KS 66061

We have a new daily schedule this year. Doors will now open at 7:40 a.m. and students need to be picked up in the afternoon by 3:40 p.m.

• The Olathe Public Schools prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity in its programs, activities or employment, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups to its facilities as required by: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Equal Access Act of 1984 and other relevant state and federal laws as amended. Inquiries regarding compliance with applicable civil rights statutes related to race, ethnicity, gender, age discrimination, sexual orientation, gender identity or equal access may be directed to Staff Counsel, 14160 S. Black Bob Road, Olathe, KS 66063-2000, phone 913-780-7000. All inquiries regarding compliance with applicable statutes regarding Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act may be directed to the Executive Director of Special Services, 14160 S. Black Bob Rd. Olathe, KS 66063-2000, phone (913) 780-7000. Interested persons including those with impaired vision or hearing, can also obtain information as to the existence and location of services, activities and facilities that are accessible to and usable by disabled persons by calling the Assistant Superintendent, Operations. (05/22)

Front Office Hours:

Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Friday 7:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m.

School Hours:

8:20 a.m.-3:20 p.m.

Location: 13775 West 133rd Street, Olathe, KS, USA
Phone: 913-780-7220